Arkansas State Police nab 2 for smuggling cocaine, meth in I-30 traffic stop

ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — A pair of alleged drug smugglers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, face felony charges in Clark County Circuit Court following their arrest on Interstate 30.

According to court documents released this week, Jose and Maria Remigio, ages 22 and 33, were arrested near the 60 eastbound mile marker on July 18, 2024. Trooper Jackson Daniell of the Arkansas State Police reportedly observed a Nissan Rogue following too closely, and conducted a traffic stop. 

Contact was made with the driver, Maria Remigio, and her husband, Jose, along with a juvenile. Maria was asked to exit the vehicle and sit in the trooper’s front passenger seat while he ran her information through a criminal database.

“During their conversation Trooper Daniell believed Maria to be involved in criminal activity,” an affidavit notes. Asked if they were traveling with anything illegal, Maria said there wasn’t and gave consent to search the vehicle.

During the search Cpl. Dustin Arnold located a floor compartment beneath the front passenger seat, where police found 15 kilograms of cocaine and 20 pounds of methamphetamine.

The Remigios were transported to the Clark County Detention Center, and the child was picked up by officials with the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

Both defendants are charged with two counts each of Trafficking a Controlled Substance, a Class Y Felony punishable by 10-40 years or life in prison.

Bond was set at $250,000 for each defendant. Both remain in custody.